(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate has given final legislative approval to the Iowa Hemp Act. The bill sets up a state licensing program for growers. If the governor — as expected — signs the bill into law, it will immediately become legal for Iowa retailers to SELL hemp-based products. “Allow the building of the infrastructure of this market now, so that when it comes time for our farmers to harvest their crops, there will be a robust demand and an outlook for industrial hemp.”  That’s Reprsentative Jarad Klein of Keota, a farmer who worked on the legislation. Hemp has been banned for decades and the 2018 Farm Bill effectively legalized growing it again. Representative Mike Sexton of Rockwell City is urging caution, though, as planting hemp could make a farmer ineligible for crop insurance.

“I wholeheartedly support this bill, but I just think it’s incumbent upon us to make sure we let Iowa farmers know: ‘Don’t rush right into this thing without checking wth the government agencies to make sure you don’t make yourself non-compliant,” Sexton says. The bill identifies two state agencies to oversee hemp growers, transporters and processors in the state. Iowa farmers would be allowed to grow up to 40 acres of hemp, starting in the 2020 growing season. Representative Jeff Shipley, a Republican from Fairfield, voted for the measure, but expressed some frustration.

“There still is a lot of red tape in this bill,” Shipley said. “Technically we are growing government with licenses and fees and it’s hard for me to comprehend that because my understanding of hemp is basically it is an inert plant and it’s very hard for me to wrap my mind around why we need government holding people by the hand to make sure they don’t make any mistakes here.”

Forty-one other states already have an industrial hemp program in place.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — When Todd Miller began his two-person solar installation business in a suburb of Des Moines, one of the challenges he faced was keeping up with customer orders, as tax incentives and plunging prices for the boxy roof panels created a booming demand for this form of clean energy. Four years later, Miller’s company has grown to 14 employees, but now he faces a real obstacle: action in the state Legislature that he says could put solar companies out of business.

The threat is coming from an unlikely source, a utility known as an alternative energy champion for its installation of thousands of wind turbines across the landscape. The wind energy darling is pushing lawmakers to tack on an extra cost to future solar customers, even if doing so makes solar energy economically uncompetitive. “Everything should be lined up for the best year we’ve ever had,” Miller said. “Instead, it’s been a lot of sleepless nights.”

For years wind and solar were friendly twins in the campaign for green alternatives to fossil fuels, but the relationship is getting ugly in a number of states, especially in Iowa, where more than 4,000 turbines generate 34% of the state’s electricity, the second highest rate in the country. About half of those turbines were installed by Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy, a wind energy leader that proudly notes its towering blades spin enough power to equal its customer demand. The utility has taken aim at a growing solar industry made up of dozens of small companies across the state.

The acrimony comes as alternative energy sources are powering an increasing percentage of the country’s needs. Since 1990, the country’s wind energy capacity has grown from a tiny 0.2% to 6.5% in 2018, and in the past decade solar capacity has had an average annual growth rate of 50%. About 2 million solar systems have been installed on homes and businesses nationwide, with 3,700 in Iowa. As alternative energy becomes more popular, the questions are growing about the appropriate level of tax incentives and other rules designed to jumpstart such power sources.

MidAmerican has received billions of dollars in federal tax credits to build its wind farms. With those incentives being phased out, MidAmerican and other utilities are now challenging the special perks that solar receives. The federal tax credits covering solar installation costs will decline in the coming years, ending for residential in 2022 and sticking at 10% for commercial projects. A key to solar’s recent success in Iowa and many states is that when panels produce excess energy, state law requires it be sold to utilities at a premium price. Solar advocates argue that if the price is lowered or other fees added, as MidAmerican has proposed, the foundation of the industry’s expansion is threatened.

MidAmerican has pushed hard for the measure in the Legislature that would require a homeowner with an average solar array to pay about $27 a month, cutting deeply into the savings customers see if they install a system at a cost of $30,000 or so. While energy savings vary regionally, advocates contend that solar systems can roughly pay for themselves over 25 years.
The state Senate has approved the measure, mainly with Republican votes. It’s awaiting action in the House, but is opposed by legislators who note farmers are enduring tough times and that new fees would deprive them of an option for saving money. MidAmerican argues the new fees would go toward maintenance of the electrical grid, which solar customers use when they sell excess power back to the utility.

MidAmerican is a big contributor to both Republican and Democratic politicians in Iowa, and the state takes pride in the utility’s success in making Iowa a wind energy mecca.
Miller, who operates his solar business in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny, said he thinks the issue is less about fairness and more about a profitable utility eager to limit competition and dominate solar as it now does wind power. Last year, MidAmerican reported a profit of $682 million. Miller noted that at a legislative hearing, a MidAmerican lobbyist promised that the utility would use the additional fee to invest in large-scale solar projects. “They’re using that as the stepping stone to take over any and all solar,” Miller said. “If energy is being produced, they want to produce it.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has approved a property tax bill that forces counties and cities to publicize and pass by a two-thirds vote any property tax increase over 2 percent. The bill was touted by Republican Sen. Randy Feenstra as a truth in taxation bill that creates transparency in the budgeting process at county and city levels. Democratic Sen. Pam Jochum says the bill flies in the face of the constitutional home rule amendment added in 1968 that grants cities and counties local control. She says there’s already adequate public input and visibility of local budgets and taxes.

Republican leaders began the session declaring property tax reform a priority but earlier bills that limited annual tax increases faded as criticism from local government officials intensified.
The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday 33-17 and the House took up debate at around 11 p.m. and finally passed it 53-46 just before 3 a.m. Thursday.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman accused of stealing more than $35,000 from late father’s estate has been given probation. Dubuque County District Court records say 54-year-old Molly Behnke was sentenced Monday to a suspended prison term of five years and two to five years of probation. She’d pleaded guilty to felony theft and forgery.

Authorities say an estate attorney told police that Behnke, as one of the executors for her father’s estate, was authorized to withdraw money to pay his final bills. But court documents say Behnke made withdrawals from May to July last year that were not used to pay off the debts.

(9-a.m. News) –Clarinda Police Chief Keith brothers reports two people were arrested during a search for a wanted person, Wednesday evening. Officers responded to 608 W. Nishna Street to look for 21-year old Ian Michael Young, of Clarinda, who was wanted on a Page County District Court felony warrant for probation violation. During the arrest, officers discovered a marijuana growing operation in the basement of the home. 35-year old Robert Kent Lee, of Clarinda was arrested for felony manufacturing marijuana, conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, gathering where drugs are manufactured/used and failure to have the required drug tax stamp. Lee was being held on bond in the Page County Jail. Additional charges on additional individuals located at the residence are pending upon completion of the investigation. The Clarinda Police Department was assisted by the Page County Sheriff’s Department.

Reports concerning the incident have been submitted to the office of Page County Attorney Carl M. Sonksen for review regarding the filing of formal charges.

An investigation in Pottawattamie County into the theft of a chainsaw from a residence in the 29,000-block of Juniper Road, Wednesday, resulted in an arrest. 39-year old William Holt Jensen was arrested for: Burglary in the 3rd Degree – Non Vehicle; Theft in the 3rd/larceny; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; and Interference with Official Acts. Jensen was also being held in the Pott. County jail for another agency. His bond was set at $7,000.

A traffic stop Wednesday night in Council Bluffs resulted in the arrest of 61-year old Daniel Bruce Liston, of Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody for Driving While Revoked and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $1,300. Wednesday afternoon, 46-year old Amy Jo Schovanec was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. She had been visiting an inmate at the jail when she was taken into custody. And, 28-year old Cody Alan Hunkins, of Imogene, was transported from the Mills County Jail to the Pott. County Jail, where he was held on a $5,000 bond for a warrant charging him with Non-payment of Child Support.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Atlantic School Board, during their meeting Wednesday evening, discussed a possible change in the field surface at Trojan Bowl. The options include a natural grass surface, a synthetic field, or sod. Superintendent Steve Barber said they’ve learned since the $9.5-million bond issue passed, that two of those options are problematic, especially when it comes to the 2020-21 football season. Natural turf takes at least a year to establish, so they would need to wait for a whole season to play on the field. Sod costs more, and it doesn’t seat as well after the first season of use, likely resulting a muddy field more than anything.

Board member Keith Swanson asked if it was possible for the football team to play all of their games on the road instead of at the Trojan Bowl while the natural grass grows. The rest of the Board wasn’t receptive to that idea. There’s a $600,000 difference between using natural turf and synthetic turf. Since that would be a change from the original concept when the money was bonded for, if the Board elects to go with that type of turf, they would have to raise money privately to make up the difference, or hope for lower bids once the decision is made. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said they could hope for that…but the bids could be much higher. The $8.5-million dollar construction project, he said, will no doubt attract numerous bids.

There is a group looking to come up with extra funds to help pay for the synthetic turf surface. In-kind contributions from sub-contractors could also help reduce the costs. Superintendent Barber says the School Board needs to make a decision by their next meeting May 8^th. Board President Josh McLaren said if they don’t go after the synthetic turf now, in two-or three-years they’ll probably regret it.

The plan you may recall, also calls for upgrades to the baseball/softball complex, a new parking area at Washington Elementary, a safer unloading and loading area for middle school and Elementary students, and a new synthetic field turf at the high school soccer field and a complete renovation of the Trojan Bowl which initially included a natural grass surface.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Another trial starting date has been set for a 19-year-old in northwest Iowa accused of stabbing to death his ex-girlfriend and another young man. Woodbury Country District Court records say a judge cited scheduling and other problems in setting a new date to begin the trial of Tran Walker. The trial had been set to begin this coming Tuesday. The new starting date is May 2.

Walker’s pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He’s accused of killing 17-year-old Paiten Sullivan and 18-year-old Felipe Negron Jr., who both lived in Sioux City. Police say Walker was in a car with the other two on Jan. 28 last year when he began to stab Sullivan because he was upset that she had broken up with him. Police say that when Negron tried to intervene, Walker stabbed him, too.

The Creston Police Department says a woman residing in the 400 block of N. Oak Street, in Creston, reported Wednesday that sometime between 1-and 9-a.m. Wednesday, someone cut the driver’s side rear tire on her vehicle, while the vehicle was parked outside her residence. The loss was estimated at $120. And, a Creston man reported Wednesday evening, that sometime over the course of the past five-to seven-months, someone had attempted to gain entry to his residence in the 500 block of W. Townline Street. Damage to the front and back doors of the home was estimated at $500. It’s not clear if entry into the residence was made.